Method and system for generating behavior profiles for device members of a network

ABSTRACT

A method and system for generating a digital profile defined by digital behavior expressed by a device includes receiving digital behavior data and identifying information defined by a device in communication with a content server, generating a device profile for the device, associating the device with at least one device population, and generating a population profile defined by the device population. The device profiles and population profiles may be made accessible to users of a social network. Related contents, including identifying information, device behavior analysis, comparative ratings, service and diagnostic information, messages and alerts may be associated with a device profile or population profile and published to the social network. A population profile may define normal digital behavior of the population, such that the population profile may be compared with the device profile of a device, to determine whether the device operation is abnormal with respect to the population profile.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/947,491 filed Nov. 20, 2015, U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/354,044 filed Jan. 19, 2012 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,218,628 onDec. 22, 2015, and U.S. Provisional Applications 61/435,460, 61/435,464,and 61/435,468, filed Jan. 24, 2011, which are each hereby incorporatedby reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to device networking, and moreparticularly to a method and a system for generating device profiles fordevice members of a network, and applying social networking principlesto a device network.

BACKGROUND

As the world becomes increasingly connected through the advancement oftechnology, the creation and expansion of social networks like Twitteror Facebook has dramatically expanded. These social networks, ascurrently used, provide and display profiles of individual human usersthrough which the human user may communicate, e.g., may express his/hervoice. Each human user profile is generated by the human user taking anaction to document the human user's characteristics or personalizeddescriptors, communicate the human user's opinions, and/or publish thehuman user's behaviors on the World Wide Web, by posting, for example, aseries of Tweets or Wall-posts which are descriptive of his/her humanactions, characteristics and behaviors to the human user's profilewithin the social network. The social network provides a means for humanusers to affiliate themselves with one or more groups which may share acommon characteristic with the human user, such as a human relationship,a location, a school, an employer, a hobby or interest, anorganizational affiliation, etc. These groups provide a forum throughwhich the group members may aggregate and share information related tothe group, including providing input to a human user profile or a groupprofile.

There are millions of industrial devices such as clamps, pins, robots,welders, weld timers, conveyors and other devices performing repetitivefunctions in factories and millions of electronic appliances and devicesfunctioning in homes, apartments, offices and other locations across theworld. Each of these devices produces a digital voice during operation,which may be, for example, an output signal, a power consumption patternor other recordable operating parameter or digital expression of thedevice's behavior. Each of these devices and appliances performs theirjobs in their respective location in isolation and independently of eachother, e.g., with a silenced, e.g., non-shared, digital voice.

SUMMARY

A system and method for generating a device profile defined by digitalbehavior expressed by a device is provided. In one example, the deviceprofile may be one of a plurality of device profiles provided to adevice network and made accessible by a user of a device network. Thedevice profile may be associated with a population of devices identifiedfrom the plurality of device profiles, and a population profile may bedefined by the device profiles of the devices associated with thepopulation. The population profile may be configured to define normaldigital behavior and/or a normal operating range of the population, suchthat the population profile may be compared with the device profile of adevice, to determine whether the device operation is atypical of orabnormal with respect to the population profile. The system and methodmay be configured to alert the device or a user of the device to providenotification that abnormal digital behavior of the device has beenidentified.

The system and method may be configured to compare a first population ofdevices to at least a second population of devices, where the devices ofthe first population may be dissimilar but comparable to the devices ofthe second population, to provide a relative comparison of the first andsecond populations. A digital profile may be defined for a location,where the location profile represents the power consumption pattern of agroup of co-located devices, which may include dissimilar devices. Byway of non-limiting example, a location may be defined as a machine, agrouping of devices performing a process, such as a manufacturing cell,devices co-located in a facility or dwelling, which may be a household,wherein the co-located devices, which may be dissimilar devices, share acommon or combined power source.

The system and method includes receiving digital behavior data andidentifying information from one or more respective devices of aplurality of devices in communication with a content server, associatingthe digital behavior data and identifying information received from therespective device with the respective device, and generating a deviceprofile for the respective device defined by the digital behavior dataassociated with the respective device. The system and method may furtherinclude identifying a plurality of device populations, wherein eachrespective device population is defined by at least one respectiveelement of the identifying information, populating the respective devicepopulation with one or more respective devices associated with the atleast one respective element of the identifying information, andgenerating a population profile for the respective device populationdefined by the respective device profiles of the respective devicespopulating the respective device population. A plurality of deviceprofiles defined by the respective devices of the plurality of devicesand a plurality of population profiles defined by the respectiveplurality of device populations may be stored using the content server.The content server may be configured to be in communication with anetwork and to provide the device profiles and the population profilesto the network, which may include providing the profiles to a devicenetwork in communication with the network, such that the device andpopulation profiles are accessible by users of the device network.

The system and method may be configured to provide related content,e.g., content related to, defined by, or affiliated with a device and/ora population and to associate the related content with one or moredevice profiles and/or population profiles. The related content may beprovided to the device network and published for viewing by a user ofthe device network. Related content may include identifying information,device behavior analysis, comparative ratings, service and diagnosticinformation, messages and alerts, and may include content posted to thedevice network by a user or member of the device network, which mayinclude a device in communication with the device network.

The above features and other features and advantages of the presentinvention are readily apparent from the following detailed descriptionof the best modes for carrying out the invention when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a system for generating behaviorprofiles including device population profiles defined by device membersof an internet-based device network and providing devicepopulation-related content;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of device behavior profiles providedby device members and a population behavior profile generated by thesystem of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic flow diagram of a process for generating apopulation behavior profile and related content for device members of adevice network;

FIG. 4A is a schematic illustration of a data capture memberconfigurable to provide behavior profiles to the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4B is a schematic illustration of a system for generating behaviorprofiles including a location population profile defined by co-locateddevice members of the internet-based device network of FIG. 1 andproviding location population-related content;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of device behavior profiles providedby co-located device members of the location of FIG. 4B, and a locationbehavior profile generated by the system of FIG. 4B; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of the system of FIG. 1 configuredfor generating behavior profiles including location population profilesdefined by location and/or device members of the internet-based devicenetwork of FIG. 1 and providing location and/or devicepopulation-related content.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers correspond tolike or similar components throughout the several figures, there isshown in FIG. 1 a system generally indicated at 100 for generatingbehavior profiles shown in FIG. 2, including device behavior profiles12A . . . 12 n each defined by a respective device 10A . . . 10 n, and apopulation behavior profile 12 (see FIG. 2), wherein the plurality ofdevices 10A . . . 10 n comprises a device population 10 defining thedevice population profile 12, and the plurality of devices 10A . . . 10n are device members of an internet-based device network 60. The term“device 10 x” is used hereinafter to refer to one of the devices 10A . .. 10 n, and the term “device profile 12 x” is used hereinafter to referto the particular device profile 12 x provided or defined by the device10 x, wherein device profile 12 x is one of the device profiles 12A . .. 12 n of FIG. 2.

The device network 60 may be configured to communicate with a network30. The network 30 may be, for example, configured as the Internet, theWorld Wide Web, etc. The system 100 may be configured to generate,publish and/or provide population-related content (not shown) and/ordevice-related content (not shown) to device members and device usermembers of the device network 60, such that the device network 60 mayapply, emulate, or incorporate, in part, the principles of socialnetworking and/or the features of a social network. The informationgenerated by the system 100, including behavior profiles,population-related content, and device-related content may be accessedvia the network 30 through a device network website (not shown) by adevice member of the device population 10, and/or by users of the devicepopulation 10. The device network website may be provided by the devicenetwork 60 including content provided by a content server 40 incommunication with the device network 60, for example, via the network30.

The content server 40 may be configured to communicate with the network30 through a network interface 32 which may be a modem, website orsimilar means. The content server 40 may include one or moreapplications 38 adaptable to process the profile data received from thedevice population 10, and a memory 34 and central processing unit (CPU)36 for executing the applications 38. Processing the profile data mayinclude, by non-limiting example, identifying a device in communicationwith the content server 40, storing behavior profile data received fromthe device, associating the device and/or device profile data with atleast one population, associating related content with a device orpopulation, aggregating the profile data with other profile data,associated population data and/or related content, analyzing the profiledata and population data, identifying abnormalities or atypical data inthe profile or population profiles, generating quality, durability andfailure predictions for the device or population, comparing one devicepopulation to another to provide a quality, durability, or satisfactionrating of each population, comparing device profiles, comparingpopulation profiles, ranking or rating a device or population,generating and providing a message related to the device and/orpopulation which may be a rating, an advisory, an alert, etc., and/orpublishing the device profile, population profile and/or related contentfor access by a device or device user. The memory 34, at least some ofwhich is tangible and non-transitory, can include, by way of example,ROM, RAM, EEPROM, etc., of a size and speed sufficient for executing theapplications 38 through the network 30, storing databases 42, 44, 46,and operating a publisher 48.

The content server 40 may include one or more databases configured toreceive, store and/or provide data within the system 100. For example,the content server 40 may include a device database 42 for receiving,storing and providing device behavior profiles such as the deviceprofiles 12A . . . 12 n shown in FIG. 2, where the device profiles maybe defined by and/or include device outputs such as measurable orrecordable device operating parameters, power consumption patterns,digital signals, cycle times, or other digital expressions of the devicebehavior, e.g., digital behavior data. The device database 42 mayinclude device related content, including device identificationinformation such as a device type, make, model, age, time in service,location, operating environment, etc. for each device 10 x, and thedevice identification information may be used to register or identifythe device 10 x as a member of the device network 60, and/or toassociate or affiliate the device 10 x with a device population 10and/or other populations with shared or comparable identifiers, wherethe population 10 and/or other populations may each represent a groupidentified within the device network 60, and the affiliated device 10 xmay be considered a group member. The content server 40 may include apopulation database 44 for receiving, storing and providing populationbehavior profiles such as the device population profile 12 shown in FIG.2, and population identification information which may be used toassociate or affiliate the population 10 with the population devices 10A. . . 10 n, or with another population, for example, for comparison ofthe behavior profiles of the two populations. The content server 40 mayinclude a related content database 46 for receiving, storing andproviding content related to a device or a device population, which mayinclude, for example, non-digital information, such as device usercomments, customer satisfaction ratings, warranty information,diagnostic or service information, etc.

The publisher 48 may be configured to publish content from the contentserver 40 to the device network 60, for access by the devices 10A . . .10 n, where each device 10 x of the device population 10 may be a memberof the device network 60 and may be a group member of one or moregroups, such as the population 10. The content provided from the contentserver 40 to the device network 60 may be viewable by or accessible toother members or users of the device network 60, which may include humanmembers having an interest in the device population 10 including deviceusers, consumers, developers, manufacturers, suppliers, serviceproviders, or others having an interest in the device population 10,comparable or competitive devices, or locations or systems incorporatinga device such as the device 10 x or a comparable device. Contentpublished by the publisher 48 to the device network 60 may includedevice profiles, population profiles, analytical results, comparativeratings and rankings of competitive device populations, warranty,durability and quality information, service information, user and membercomments and posts, alerts, warnings, etc. The publisher 48 may beconfigured to format the content in a predetermined presentation format.For example, each device population, such as the population 10, may bedisplayed using a standardized arrangement of information, which mayinclude identifying information such as the name, brand, make, model andmanufacturer of the devices 10A . . . 10 n comprising the population 10,the population profile 12, links to each of the device profiles 12A . .. 12 n and device specific information such as the location, operatingenvironment and time in service of each of the devices 12A . . . 12 n,quality ratings, reliability projections, service information,manufacturer information, a device user blog or wall for posting orviewing user comments, etc.

The publisher 48 and/or the content server 40 may be configured togenerate and/or provide messages to members of the device network 60,device users, and/or to a device 10 x in communication with the contentserver 40 and/or the device network 60. For example, the publisher 48may be configured to provide an alert message to the device 10 xnotifying the device 10 x that the device profile 12 x includes atypicaldata which may indicate a need for correction, maintenance or otherservice of the device 10 x. In another example, the publisher 48 and/orthe content server 40 may be configured to provide a message as anelectronic signal which may be a command to the device 10 x to modify orterminate operation to prevent a future condition, such as an overloador failure event. The publisher 48 and/or the content server 40 may beconfigured to provide a message using the device network 60, where themessage may be configured as an alert, a blog post, a Tweet, a Wall-postor other message, for which notification may be provided by the devicenetwork 60 to one or more members or users of the device network 60.

The examples provided herein are non-limiting. For example, it would beunderstood that the functions of the content server 40 may be providedby a single server, or may be distributed among multiple servers,including third party servers, and that the data within the system 100may be provided by databases configured other than as described for thedatabases 42, 44, 46. For example, the device and population profilesmay reside in a shared database, and the device and populationaffiliation data and related content may reside in another database. Thedatabases may be distributed among multiple servers, including thirdparty servers, in communication with each other and the content server40 through the network 30 and/or directly.

The device network 60 may be configured such that behaviors of each ofthe devices 10 x or their affiliated populations 10 can be shared andaccumulated through the networking system 100. A device group (notshown) may be created, for example, on the device network 60 for acertain industrial device type to collect behavior information, e.g. thedigital voices or profiles of each of the devices 10 x in the devicegroup. The device group may consist of one or more device populations,such that a device 10 x may be a member of the device group and a memberof at least one of the device populations. For example, a device 10 xmay be a member of a particular device population 10 comprising devicesof the same type, make, model and manufacturer of device 10 x, and thedevice 10 x may be a member of another population (not shown) comprisingdevices of the same type as the device 10 x but including devices ofvarious makes, models and manufacturers. A device member 10 x may jointhe device network 60, e.g., may be configured, for example, to be incommunication with the device network 60 and/or the content server 40such that the device member 10 x can contribute its digital voice, e.g.,provide device profile data and device related content includingidentifying data, to the device group defined by the device network 60.

As member device profiles and related content are accumulated from aplurality of devices 10A . . . 10 n, and the profile information andrelated content is received, affiliated, aggregated, analyzed and/orstored via the content server 40 and/or the device network 60, a digitalprofile for a member group or device population may be provided.Aggregation, correlation and analysis of the behavior profiles andrelated content may provide failure predictions, comparisons of onepopulation to another, quality, durability, or satisfaction rating ofeach population, etc. The content server 40 and/or device network 60 maybe configured to provide other information, such as a warning ornotification system to allow a device user to replace the device 10 xbefore it ultimately fails, thus avoiding user inconvenience, downtime,etc. By comparing one population of items or devices to another, forexample, where the first population 10 is comprised of devices 10A . . .10 n of a first model or type, and the second population (not shown) iscomprised of a similar device, such as a device 70A (see FIG. 4B) of asecond model or type, the two populations may be compared to provide arelative comparison of quality, performance, and/or durability. Thedigital performance of each population, e.g., the population profile 12created for each population and provided to the device network 60, maybe further configured to include or reference other, non-digital,information, such as user comments, customer satisfaction ratings,diagnostic or service information, etc.

As shown in FIG. 1, each of the devices 10A . . . 10 n may be incommunication with a data transfer mechanism 20 configured to collectand/or transfer the digital voice, e.g., the digital profile, of thedevice 10 x to the content server 40. The data transfer mechanism 20 maybe in communication with the network 30 to transfer the device profiles12A . . . 12 n to the content server 40 or to the device network 60 incommunication with the content server 40. The data transfer mechanism 20may be configured as a data transfer application, which may be, forexample, provided to a central computing and controlling device such asa programmable logic controller (PLC) in communication with and/orconfigured to control the device 10 x, such that device profile data maybe collected by the PLC and transferred using the data transfermechanism 20 to the content server 40 and/or device network 60.

The data transfer mechanism 20 may be configured as a data transfermember which may be interposed between and in communication with thedevice 10 x and the content server 40 and/or device network 60. In oneexample, the data transfer mechanism 20 may be configured as a datatransfer member 50 shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 6 and described furtherherein.

A device 10 x may be any type of industrial device, consumer device,household appliance, or other device capable of producing a digitalvoice during operation, which may be, for example, an output signal, apower consumption pattern or other recordable operating parameter ordigital expression of the device's behavior. Non-limiting examples of adevice include a clamp, a pin, a weld gun, a weld timer, a robot, anappliance such as a washer, a dryer, a dishwasher, an air conditioner, amicrowave, and/or an electronic device such as a light bulb.

At least one device population 10 may be comprised of one or moredevices which are related by predetermined criteria. The predeterminedcriteria defining the device population may include one or more elementsof identifying information, which may be provided by the device asdevice related content. For example, the device population 10 shown inFIG. 1 may be comprised of devices 10A . . . 10 n, where each device 10x is similar to another device 10 x, for example, each device 10 x is ofthe same make, model and manufacturer, to comprise a population ofsimilar devices. Each of the devices 10 x may be operating in adifferent location or environment, such that aggregating the deviceprofiles 12A . . . 12 n may provide a statistically significantpopulation profile 12 from which statistical descriptors, predictions,and estimations may be determined.

Another device population 10 may be comprised of devices 70A . . . 70 n,including the device 70A shown in FIG. 4B, where each device 70 x issimilar to another device 70 x, but dissimilar from a device 10 x bydiffering in at least one of type, make, model and/or manufacturer orother identifying characteristic. The term “dissimilar” is usedhereinafter to distinguish between two devices which differ in at leastone identifying characteristic, where an identifying characteristic maybe a type, make, model, manufacturer, function, application, operatingenvironment, configuration or other identifying characteristic. In oneexample, the devices 10 x and 70 x may be comparable devices, e.g., thedevice 10 x may be the same type of device as the device 70 x, but eachmay be of a different make, model, or manufacture, or differ in anotheridentifying characteristic, such as the specific application orenvironment in which each device 10 x, 70 x is used. The term“comparable” is used hereinafter to identify two devices which share atleast one identifying characteristic, where an identifyingcharacteristic may be a type, make, model, manufacturer, function,application, operating environment, configuration or other identifyingcharacteristic. For example, a device 10 x may be a clamping device of afirst type, first model, and first manufacturer, such that the devicepopulation 10 is comprised of similar devices 10A . . . 10 n. A device70 x may be a clamping device of the same type as a device 10 x anddiffer in at least one other identifying criteria, such that each device70 x is similar to another devices 70 x, and each device 70 x iscomparable to but dissimilar from each device 10 x. For example, thedevice 70 x may be the same first type and first model as device 10 x,but may be produced by a second manufacturer, such that the devicepopulation 70 is comprised of similar devices 70 x having the same firsttype, first model, and second manufacturer. The devices 10 x aredissimilar from the devices 70 x based on differing manufacturers. Thedevice population 10 x may be compared with the device population 70 xto provide a relative comparison of the first manufacturer's device 10 xand the second manufacturer's device 70 x, for example, to provide aquality or performance ranking or comparison between the twopopulations, e.g., between the clamps of the first type and first modelprovided by the two different manufacturers.

The device profiles 10 x, 70 x may be combined to form anotherpopulation (not shown) comprising clamping devices of the first type andthe first model from a variety of manufacturers to provide a populationprofile for first type/first model clamps, which may represent the norm,e.g., the expected behavior, of a first type/first model clamp. A deviceprofile 10 x, 70 x may be analyzed in comparison to the firsttype/first/model clamp population profile to determine, for example, ifthe device 10 x, 70 x is performing within the norm of clamps of thefirst type/first model.

Any given device population 10 may be comprised of a plurality ofdevices where at least two of the devices are dissimilar and are relatedto each other by another identifying criterion, such as co-location. Anexample of such a location population 110A is illustrated in FIGS. 4B-6.The dissimilar devices 70A, 80A, 90A may be co-located, e.g., may sharea location, where the term “location” is intended to be defined broadlyherein. For example, a location 110A may be a welding machine, where thedevices 70A, 80A, 90A may comprise the location population 110A, and thedevice 70A may be a clamp actuable to hold a work piece, the device 80Amay be a welder configured to weld the work piece, and the device 90Amay be a robot configured to position the work piece relative to theclamp 70A. The device profiles 72A, 82A, 92A may be defined by the powerconsumption pattern of each of these devices over time, such that theaggregated device profiles 72A, 82A, 92A define a location profile 112A,which may also be described herein as the “heartbeat” of the location110A, e.g., a power consumption pattern defined by the device population72A, 82A, 92A of the location 112A. The power consumption pattern foreach device 70A, 80A, 90A may be collected, for example, by a PLCincluding a data transfer mechanism 20, where the PLC is controlling themachine 110A and each of the co-located devices 70A, 80A, 90A.

As shown in FIG. 6 and referring to the present example, a locationpopulation 110 may include a plurality of locations, e.g., weldingmachines 110A . . . 110 n, each welding machine 110 x comprisingco-located dissimilar devices 70 x, 80 x and 90 x, and defining amachine or location profile 112 x, also referred to as a heartbeat 112x. The location profiles 112A . . . 112 n of the population of machines110A . . . 110 n may be aggregated to define a location populationprofile (not shown), where the location population profile may definethe normal or expected behavior pattern and/or normal or expectedoperational range of the locations (machines) 110A . . . 110 n relativeto or as statistically derived from the location population 110. Alocation profile 112 x may be compared to the location populationprofile to monitor the location 110 x, e.g., the particular machine 110A. . . 110 n corresponding to the location (machine) 110 x, for atypicalor abnormal behavior as reflected in the location (machine) profile 110x.

Referring to FIG. 3, shown generally indicated at 200 is an exampleprocess for generating and providing a population behavior profile andrelated content (not shown) for members of the device network 60. In afirst illustrative example, the population profile may be a devicepopulation profile such as the population profile 12 shown in FIG. 2 andincluding the device profiles 12A . . . 12 n defined by a devicepopulation 10 comprising devices 10A . . . 10 n. In a non-limitingexample, each of the devices 10A . . . 10 n, e.g., each device 10 x, maybe configured as a clamp device of the same make, model and manufacturerperforming a predetermined opening and closing cycle. Each of thedevices 10A . . . 10 n may be operating in a different location, whichmay be, for example, in different countries or regions such that thebehavior data represented by the device profiles 12A . . . 2 n of thedevices 10A . . . 10 n Represent Clamp opening and closing cycles fromclamp devices operating in a variety of different environmentalconditions.

The operation cycle behavior of each clamp may be captured by the datatransfer mechanism 20 of FIG. 1, which may comprise a PLC controllingthe opening and closing of the clamp device 10 x. The device behaviorprofile 12 x for a clamp device 10 x may be generated by gathering atleast one operation cycle behavior of the device 10 x, and preferablygathering a sampling of multiple operation cycle behaviors over a periodof time to develop a normal operation behavior profile 12 x for eachclamp device 10 x, where a normal operation behavior profile 12 xrepresents the actual routine or predictable behavior of the clampdevice 10 x in the device lox's operating environment, which may beinfluenced by factors such as the operating temperature, humidity, etc.

The process 200 begins at step 205 with providing a plurality of devicebehavior profiles 12A . . . 12 n, such as the device profiles shown inFIG. 2, to the content server 40. At step 210, each device profile 12 xis stored on the content server 40 with identification informationspecific to each device 10 x for which a device profile 12 x isprovided. At step 215, each device 10 x and its profile 12 x areassociated or affiliated with at least one population, based on thedevice 10 x identification information. In the present example, each ofthe devices 10 x would be associated at least with the device population10 by the content server 40 and/or the device network 60.

At step 220, the behavior profiles 12A . . . 12 n of the clamp devices10A . . . 10 n comprising the population 10 are aggregated to generate apopulation profile 12 for the population 10. The population profile 12represents the normal operation behavior profile and normal operationrange of the clamp population 10, where the normal operation behaviorprofile may include a statistical representation of the expectedbehavior of a clamp 10 x in the clamp population 10. As shown in FIG. 2,the population profile 12 may be quantified statistically by astatistical descriptor, such as a population average 14. The example ofa population average as a statistical descriptor is non-limiting andother statistical descriptors 14, such as a mean or median of thepopulation 10, may be generated. The population profile 12 may bequantified statistically be generating statistical limits 16, which maybe control limits or other expressions of the statistical distributionof the population profile 12. In one example, the statistical limits 16may be ±3 sigma or ±4 sigma limits, where sigma represents a standarddeviation of the population profile 12. Aggregating the device profiles12A . . . 12 n may include generating statistical descriptors 14, 16 orother statistical descriptors of the population profile 12 comprisingthe device profiles 12A . . . 12 n or otherwise quantifying the actualand/or predicted digital behavior of the population 10.

A “network effect” in economics and networks is generally described inWikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_effect). A digital datanetwork effect can be created using the data which forms the digitalfootprint of certain physical actions or functions of electricallypowered appliances and/or devices, such as the digital data provided bythe device profiles 12A . . . 12 n and the device population profile 12to the content server 40 for aggregation, analysis and publication tothe device network 60. For example, a clamp device 10 x can open andclose. This action can generate a data set that is the digital footprintfor this action, and can be captured from the device 10 x, for example,using a data transfer mechanism 20, and provided to the content server40. This data set can include digital information such as when themotion starts, when the motion stops, and other data, depending on theconfiguration of the device, sensors in communication with the device,digital outputs from the device and related sensors, etc., comprisingthe digital voice of the device 10 x. Other information or contentrelated to the device 10 x may be provided to the content server 40and/or the device network 60. A population 10 may be defined by thecontent server 40 or via the device network 60 for a group of devices,such as the clamp devices 10 x in operation at any specific time, suchthat the clamp devices 10 x are identifiable by the content server 40and/or device network 60 as members of the population 10 group.

Each of the devices 10 x affiliated with the population 10, e.g., eachmember device 10 x, generates a continuous flow of digital data as longas the clamp device 10 x is in operation, which is provided via the datatransfer mechanism 20 to the content server 40 and/or device network 60.Each of these data sets by itself, e.g., each device profile 12 xconsidered in isolation or independently, may have a minimal value, forexample, by not representing a normal operation range of the population10 comprising the device 10 x and/or by not providing statisticallysignificant data, as the term “statistically significant” is commonlyunderstood. However, when the data sets, e.g., the device profiles 12A .. . 12 n are correlated together with metadata, such as device 10 xidentifiers which may include the clamp make, model, operating locationand operating environment variables which may include ambient operatingparameters such as temperature and humidity, warranty and serviceinformation, etc., the statistically significant quantity of dataprovided by the devices 10A . . . 10 n can be compiled, analyzed andotherwise used to generate useful behavior knowledge about the clampdevice population 10 or a subset thereof, such as how a certain type ormodel of clamp device 10 x should behave according to a norm, e.g., anormal operation behavior pattern, defined by the device population 10.As described for FIG. 2, the normal or predicted behavior of a clampdevice 10 x may be expressed or quantified using statistical descriptorsdefined by the aggregated device profiles 12A . . . 12 n and populationprofile 10, which may include at least one population estimator 14and/or population distribution estimators or control limits 16, and mayidentify a normal behavior pattern and/or normal operational range ofthe device population 10. The “network effect” provided by the system100 and method 200 described herein enables the capability toaccumulate, aggregate, analyze and publish a statistically significantquantity of data representative of a networked group, e.g., a population10, such that statistical modeling, predictions and comparisons relatedto the population 10 or member devices 10A . . . 10 n may be made withhigh statistical confidence.

Still referring to FIG. 3, at step 225, the device profiles, populationprofiles, and device-related and population-related content of a clampdevice 10 x and/or clamp population 10 may be analyzed, to evaluateand/or monitor the status or condition of a clamp device 10 x comprisingthe population 10, the status or condition of the population 10, etc.The analysis at step 225 may include comparing the clamp population 10to another population, such as a clamp population comprising a clampdevice 70 x (see FIGS. 4B-5) which may be similar to the clamp device 10x, but of a different make, model, or manufacturer, such thatcomparative evaluation of the two populations of clamps 10 x, 70 x maybe provided, which may include determining relative durability, quality,and/or satisfaction of the compared populations.

The analysis step 225 may include comparing a clamp device profile 12 xwith its population profile 12, to evaluate and/or monitor deviations ofthe individual clamp 10 x against its population norm, e.g., thepopulation profile 12. The analysis step 225 may include predictingfuture or impending behavior of the clamp 10 x by identifying atypicalbehavior of the clamp 10 x based on analysis of the clamp device profile12 x. Atypical behavior may include, for example, a device profile 12 xat least partially outside limits 16 of the population profile 12, ortrending of data comprising the device profile 12 x indicating thedevice profile 12 x will be moving outside the limits 16 of thepopulation profile 12. For example, FIG. 2 shows a device profile 12Aincluding at least one atypical or abnormal data point 18 outside of thecontrol limits 16 such that the device profile 12A is atypical orabnormal in comparison with the population profile 12, which may providea statistical conclusion that the device 10A defining the device profile12A is behaving outside the normal behavior pattern or normal range ofthe population 10, which may warrant investigation. Using knowledgeaccumulated by and from the content server 40 and/or the device network60, a prognosis and/or diagnosis of the atypical behavior of the device12A may be provided. The ability to provide valuable information bycorrelating massive, e.g., statistically significant, amounts of similardata sets, e.g., data sets for a plurality of devices 10A . . . 10 ncomprising a device population 10, is characteristic of the data networkeffect described herein for populations of electrically poweredindustrial devices or appliances.

Continuing with the process 200 shown in FIG. 3, at step 230 the deviceand device population information received, affiliated, aggregated,analyzed and/or generated in steps 205 through 225, and any additionalrelated content received or generated related to the device 10 x, otherdevices 10A . . . 10 n, and/or the population 10 is stored in thecontent server 40, for example, in one or more of the databases 42, 44,46, all of which are shown in FIG. 1.

At step 235 the accumulated data, data analysis, related content, and/oranalysis results including population norms, comparisons, ratings, etc.may be provided by the content server 40 to the device network 60 foraccessing by the device members or other users of the device network 60.The content server 40 may include a publisher 48 configured to publishthe accumulated data and information to the device network 60.

At an optional step 240, the content server 40 and/or device network 60may provide messaging to a device 10 x or other member of the devicenetwork 60. The messaging may include a status update indicating thestatus of the member device 10 x relative to the member's group, e.g.,the device population 10, which may be based on the analysis performedat step 225, and/or a status update for the device population 10, whichmay be provided directly to the member device 10 x, to a user of themember device 10 x, or may be provided for access via the device network60. The messaging may be configured as an alert indicating abnormalbehavior has been detected, a recommendation to investigate theoperating condition of a device 10 x, a comparative rating or ranking ofa device or device population, and/or a prediction or estimation such asa quality or reliability estimate, etc. The messaging may be configuredas an update that content has been added to the device network 60related to the device 10 x or population 10, where the related contentmay include, by non-limiting example, diagnostic and/or serviceinformation, investigation feedback, a Wall-post, a Tweet, device useror customer comments, device manufacturer information, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 4A, shown is a schematic illustration of a datatransfer member generally indicated at 50 and configurable as a datatransfer mechanism 20 (see FIG. 1) to provide behavior data defining adevice profile, such as the device profile 72A shown in FIG. 5, from adevice, such as the device 70A shown in FIG. 4B in communication withthe data transfer member 50, to the content server 40. The data transfermember 50 may be configured to capture a power consumption pattern ofthe device 70A in communication with the member 50, where the powerconsumption pattern defines the device profile 72A of the device 70A. Asshown in FIG. 5, the power consumption pattern or profile 72A recordsthe power P, which may be measured for example in amperes or voltage,consumed by the device 70A over a period of time. The period of time maybe a predetermined time period identified for a location population 110Aincluding the device 70A, a period of time defined by an operating cycleof the device 70A, or a period of time defined by an operating cycle ofthe location population 110A including the device 70A.

As previously described herein, the device 70A may be a member of alocation population 110A illustrated in FIGS. 4B-6 and comprised of aplurality of devices where at least two of the devices are dissimilarand are related to each other by another criterion, such as co-location,such that the power consumption pattern of each of the co-locateddevices may be captured by a data transfer member 50 and aggregated todefine a location profile 112A of the co-located group of devices. Forexample, a location 110A may be a welding machine, where the devices70A, 80A, 90A may be co-located to define the welding machine 110A,e.g., to comprise the location population 110A. In a non-limitingexample, the device 70A may be a clamp actuable to hold a work piece,the device 80A may be a welder configured to weld the work piece, andthe device 90A may be a robot configured to position the work piecerelative to the clamp 70A. The device profiles 72A, 82A, 92A may bedefined by the power consumption pattern of each of these devices over atime period, such that the device profiles 72A, 82A, 92A may beaggregated, as shown in FIG. 5, to define a location population profile112A, which may be referred to as a location profile 112A. The locationprofile 112A may also be described herein as the “heartbeat” of thedevice population 110A, e.g., an aggregate power consumption pattern ofthe location 110A defined by power consumption patterns of the devicepopulation 70A, 80A, 90A. The power consumption pattern for each device70A, 80A, 90A may be collected, for example, by a data transfer member50A, which may be referred to herein as a slave member 50A incommunication with each of the co-located devices 70A, 80A, 90A and incommunication with a data transfer member 50B, which may be referred toherein as a master member 50B.

Referring again to FIG. 4A, the data transfer member 50 may beconfigured as a data transfer mechanism 20 (see FIG. 1). The datatransfer member 50, which may be configured as a power consumptionmonitor, may be referred to herein as a myPlug™ member 50. The datatransfer member 50 may be configurable as a slave member 50A and/or amaster member 50B, or may be configured to concurrently function as aslave member 50A and master member 50B. In one example, the myPlug™member 50 may include a selector (not shown) such as a dip switch,selectable to configure the myPlug member 50 as one of a slave member50A or a master member 50B. The myPlug™ member 50 may include a firstinterface 58 configured to operatively connect the member 50 to at leastone of a network interface 64 and a device, such as a device 70A, 80A,90A shown in FIG. 4B. The myPlug™ member 50 may include a secondinterface 68 configured to operatively connect the member 50 to a powersource 62, which may be a power line providing electrical power to thelocation 110A, and the devices 70A, 80A, 90A included therein. Byexample, the second interface 68 may be configured to plug into a poweroutlet connected to the power source 62 such that when the member 50 isconfigured or installed as a slave member 50A, the power consumed by adevice operatively connected to the interface 58 is provided from thepower outlet to the device through the interface 68 and the slave member50A.

The myPlug™ member 50 is a smart device including a central processingunit (CPU) 52, a memory 54, and a network interface 56. The interfaceport 56 may be a port configured to receive a network interface card(NIC), to enable communication, including wireless communication,between a member 50 configured as a slave member 50A and a member 50configured as a master member 50B, as shown in FIG. 4B, wherein the termmember 50 may refer to a slave member 50A, a master member 50B, orcollectively to slave and master members 50A, 50B. The CPU 52 and memory54 are configured to capture the power usage pattern of any device towhich the member 50 passes power. In the example shown in FIG. 4B, aslave member 50A is connected to each of the devices 70A, 80A, 90A, tocapture data defining the power usage pattern of each respective device.The slave member 50A then transmits the captured data through a networkto the master member 50B. The master member 50B is operatively connectedto a network interface 64, which may be, for example, a network router,and is configured to transfer the transmitted data to the content server40 for storage, affiliation, aggregation and/or analysis by the contentserver 40.

As was described herein related to FIG. 1, and shown in FIG. 5, thedevice profiles 72A, 82A, 92A may be defined by the transmitted data,e.g., the power consumption patterns of the respective devices 70A, 80A,90A, and aggregated to provide a device population profile 112A, whichmay be referred to as a location profile corresponding to the populationof devices 70A, 80A, 90A co-located at the location 110A. The contentserver 40 may publish the transmitted data, including device profilessuch as device profiles 72A, 82A, 92A shown in FIG. 5, and devicepopulation profiles such as the population profile 112A, to the devicenetwork 60 for access by the device members, location member, or otherusers of the device network 60, which may include, for example, acustomer, supplier, manufacturer, operator, and/or service provider ofthe welding machine 110A and/or co-located members 70A, 80A, 90A.

In one example, the slave members 50A can be connected with the mastermember 50B using the power line providing power from a shared powersource 62 to the location 110A and devices 70A, 80A, 90A co-locatedtherein, and through the plurality of slave members 50A and the mastermember 50B, via the Ethernet over power. Each of the members 50 may havea unique ID, such as a MAC address, by which each slave member 50A andthe data transmitted via the slave member 50A may be identified andassociated to the device in communication with and/or receiving powerthrough the slave member 50A. The master member 50B may have a uniqueID, such as a MAC address, to identify and associate data transmittedvia the master member 50B with the location or device population 110A.

In another example, the slave members 50A and master member 50B may beconfigured for wireless connection with each other, such as WIFI,Bluetooth or other wireless means, so that the power consumption datacollected by each slave member 50A may be wirelessly transmitted to themaster member 50B. The master member 50B may be configured for wirelesscommunication with the network interface 64 for wireless transmission ofthe profile data defined by the location 110A to the content server 40.In another example, the content server 40 may be co-located with thelocation 110A and the master member 50B may be in direct communicationwith the content server 40.

Referring to FIG. 5, the device profiles 72A, 82A, 92A may be collectedover the same time period and provided to the content server 40 and/orthe device network 60, where each device profile represents the powerconsumption pattern of that respective device during the same timeprior. The device profiles 72A, 82A, 92A may be aggregated by thecontent server 40 to define a device population profile 112A reflectingthe consolidated power consumption pattern of the co-located devices70A, 80A, 90A. The device and population profiles 72A, 82A, 92, 110A andrelated content, which may include, as describe previously, identifyinginformation for each of the devices and the location, informationregarding the operating environment of the devices and/or location, orother information may be published by the content server 40 for access,for example, through the device network 60. In the present example, thelocation 110A is configured as a welding machine, and the identifyinginformation may include the type, model, make, manufacturer, time inservice, operating environment, etc. of the welding machine 110A.Related information may include identifying information regarding thepower source 62.

As shown in FIG. 6, and similar to the system and process describedrelated to FIGS. 1-3, the location or device population 110A may be amember of a group of locations 110 including the location 110A andlocations 110B . . . 110 n, where the group of locations 110 may bereferred to as a location population. In the present example, each ofthe locations 110A . . . 110 n may be a welding machine 110 x of thesame type, make, model and manufacture, and respectively includingdevices of the same type, make, model and manufacture as the devices70A, 80A, 90A of the welding machine 110A. Each welding machine 110 xmay be operating in a different environment or location. For example,each of the welding machines 110A . . . 110 n may be operating in adifferent manufacturing facility, where the different manufacturingfacilities are geographically dispersed.

As described herein for devices 10A . . . 10 n, the location profiles112 x provided by each of the locations (welding machines) 110 x may beprovided to the content server 40 and/or device network 60 andaggregated to develop a location population profile 112 (not shown). Thelocation population profile 112 may define statistical descriptorsdefined by the location population profile 112 to which the locationprofile 112 x may be compared, such that the content server 40 and/orthe device network 60 may be used to identify atypical behavior of alocation (welding machine) 110 x and may provide a message to thelocation 110 x and/or a location 110 x user to notify them of theatypical behavior. The statistical descriptors may define a normalbehavior pattern and/or normal operational range for the locationpopulation 110. As described previously, the message may provide arecommendation to investigate the atypical behavior, diagnostic,prediction and/or service information, or other information.

In one example, a myPlug™ member 50 may be configured as a powerregulator to be switched on and off and thus control power flow to adevice or location connected to the member. The content server 40 and/orthe device network 60 may be configured to provide a message to themember 50 to actuate the power regulator. For example, atypical behaviorof a location 110 x may be determined during the analysis step 225 ofthe process 200 applied to the location population 110. The contentserver 40 may be configured to provide a message to the master member50B to actuate the power regulator to cease operation of the location110 x, e.g., to shut down the welding machine 110 x, or to ceaseoperation of a device 70 x, 80 x, 90 x co-located at the location 110 x,to prevent a predicted condition or behavior.

Other configurations of the system and method described herein arepossible, and the examples provided herein are not intended to belimiting. For example, a co-located device population, such as alocation population 110 x, may be comprised of a plurality of devicesco-located within a dwelling or household. An example of such aco-located device population 110 x may include a set of appliancesoperating in a household including a refrigerator, a dishwasher, agarage door motor, a furnace, and a microwave. The respective deviceprofile of each of these appliances may be defined by the powerconsumption pattern of each appliance over time, such that theaggregated appliance profiles of the appliances define a locationprofile 112 x, also described herein as the “heartbeat” of the location110 x, e.g., the heartbeat of the household 110 x. The power consumptionpattern for each of the household appliances may be collected, forexample, by a myPlug™ member 50 in communication with each appliance andthe power line in the dwelling. The “heartbeat” or location profile 112x may be collected for a sufficient period of time to define a normal orbaseline power consumption pattern, e.g., a normal “heartbeat” for thehousehold 110 x. The location profile 112 x may be monitored over time,e.g., on an ongoing basis, and compared with the normal or baselinelocation profile 112 x to detect abnormal or atypical patterns of powerconsumption, which may be used to identify, for example, a conditionrequiring attention or indicating a potential failure, such as increasedcurrent draw of a deteriorating motor used by one of the appliances inthe household 110 x. By providing a means of identifying an abnormalpattern, preventive actions may be taken to avoid user convenience, forexample, due to a failure of a furnace, refrigerator, or otherelectrical appliance. Abnormal or atypical patterns of power consumptionmay also indicate, for example, unauthorized use of the appliances, asmay occur during a home intrusion, for which an alert or warning may beprovided.

In another example, a co-located population of devices 110 x maycomprise computer and computer-related devices, which may includepersonal computers, laptops, printers, routers, or other computerperipheral devices, networked to each other within a location, which maybe a household or other facility, such as a business. A “heartbeat” orlocation profile 112 x may be collected for a sufficient period of timeto define a normal or baseline power consumption pattern for thelocation population 110 x. Ongoing monitoring of the location profile112 x, e.g., ongoing monitoring of the power consumption patterns forthe population 110 x, and comparing of the location profile 112 x overtime with the normal or baseline profile 112 x may be performed todetect abnormal power consumption by one or more of the computers orcomputer-related devices comprising the location population 110 x.Abnormal or atypical power usage may indicate unauthorized use of one ofthe devices comprising the location population 110 x, which may be theresult of an intrusion of the location population 110 x or a devicemember thereof, which may be an intrusion occurring at the location orby remote access to the location, including an intrusion, for example,by a Trojan, other virus, or bot, for which a warning or alert could beprovided to the household, e.g., to the operator or owner of thecomputer devices comprising the population 110 x. In this way, thesystem 100 may be configured as an intrusion detection system.

The detailed description and the drawings or figures are supportive anddescriptive of the invention, but the scope of the invention is definedsolely by the claims. While some of the best modes and other embodimentsfor carrying out the claimed invention have been described in detail,various alternative designs and embodiments exist for practicing theinvention defined in the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a content server incommunication with a plurality of devices, wherein the content servercomprises a memory and a processor and is configured to: communicatewith the plurality of devices; receive at least one element ofidentifying information from at least one device of the plurality ofdevices; associate the at least one element of identifying informationreceived from the at least one device with the at least one device;wherein the at least one element of identifying information comprises atleast one of a first element of identifying information and a secondelement of identifying information; generate a first device populationand a second device population; populate the first device populationwith the at least one device associated with the first element ofidentifying information; populate the second device population with theat least one device associated with the second element of identifyinginformation; and store the first and second device populations; whereinthe content server is configured to: receive digital behavior data fromthe at least one device; associate with the first device population, thedigital behavior data of the at least one device associated with thefirst element of identifying information; associate with the seconddevice population, the digital behavior data of the at least one deviceassociated with the second element of identifying information; and storethe digital behavior data; wherein the content server is configured to:generate a first population profile for the first device population;wherein the first population profile is defined by the digital behaviordata received from the at least one device associated with the firstelement of identifying information; generate a second population profilefor the second device population; wherein the second population profileis defined by the digital behavior data received from the at least onedevice associated with the second element of identifying information;and store the first and second population profiles.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising: a device network; wherein the contentserver is in communication with the device network; and wherein each ofthe plurality of devices is in communication with the device network. 3.The system of claim 2, wherein: the content server is configured to:generate a message defined by the first population profile; andcommunicate the message to the first device population.
 4. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the content server is configured to: generate a messagedefined by the first population profile; and communicate the message tothe at least one device associated with the first element of identifyinginformation.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the content server isconfigured to: compare the digital behavior data of the at least onedevice populating the first device population with the first populationprofile; and determine whether the at least one device exhibits abnormaldigital behavior in comparison to the first population profile.
 6. Thesystem of claim 5, wherein the content server is configured to: upondetermining the at least one device exhibits abnormal digital behavior,generate and communicate the message to the at least one device; andwherein the message is one of an alert and a command to cease operationof the at least one device.
 7. The system of claim 2, wherein thecontent server is configured to: receive content related to at least oneof the first device population and the second device population, via thedevice network, from a user of the device network; associate the contentwith the at least one of the first device population and the seconddevice population; and store the content.
 8. The system of claim 7,wherein the content server is configured to: generate a message to theuser; and wherein the message is defined by at least one of the firstpopulation profile and the second population profile.
 9. The system ofclaim 7, wherein the content comprises at least one of non-digitalinformation.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital behaviordata is generated by the at least one device during an operation cycleperformed by the at least one device.
 11. The system of claim 1, whereinthe digital behavior data is generated by the at least one device duringeach operation cycle of a plurality of operation cycles performed by theat least one device.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the digitalbehavior data comprises a cycle time of each operation cycle of theplurality of operation cycles performed by the at least one device. 13.The system of claim 11, wherein the digital behavior data comprises apower consumption pattern for the at least one device during eachoperation cycle of the plurality of operation cycles performed by the atleast one device.
 14. The system of claim 1, wherein the content serveris configured to: generate a device profile for the at least one deviceusing the digital behavior data generated by the at least one device;associate the device profile with the at least one device; and store thedevice profile.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the device profilefor the at least one device is predictive of a normal operation behaviorprofile of the at least one device.
 16. A method comprising: receiving,via a content server in communication with a plurality of devices, atleast one element of identifying information from at least one device ofthe plurality of devices; wherein the content server comprises a memoryand a processor and is configured to: associating the at least oneelement of identifying information received from the at least one devicewith the at least one device; wherein the at least one element ofidentifying information comprises at least one of a first element ofidentifying information and a second element of identifying information;generating a first device population and a second device population;populating the first device population with the at least one deviceassociated with the first element of identifying information; populatingthe second device population with the at least one device associatedwith the second element of identifying information; and storing thefirst and second device populations receiving, via the content server,digital behavior data from the at least one device; associating with thefirst device population, the digital behavior data of the at least onedevice associated with the first element of identifying information;associating with the second device population, the digital behavior dataof the at least one device associated with the second element ofidentifying information; and storing the digital behavior data;generating, via the content server, a first population profile for thefirst device population; wherein the first population profile is definedby the digital behavior data received from the at least one deviceassociated with the first element of identifying information;generating, via the content server, a second population profile for thesecond device population; wherein the second population profile isdefined by the digital behavior data received from the at least onedevice associated with the second element of identifying information;and storing the first and second population profiles.